Sean Worth

Biography

Sean Worth joined Policy Exchange as a consultant in June 2012 to set up the ‘Better Public Services Project’. Before joining us, Sean spent just over two years as a Special Adviser to Prime Minister, David Cameron, and worked in government on several areas of public service reform. Prior to that, Sean was head of the Conservative Party's Policy Unit and authored plans to improve public services which have helped form Coalition policy.

Sean's previous experience includes roles in the financial services industry, politics and academia. He holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Bath.

Authored Publications

Better Public Services: A Roadmap for Revolution, calls for a number of changes in the way services are delivered which puts power firmly in the hands of the public. It argues that the state’s right to monopoly provision of public services should be swept aside. Private companies and voluntary groups should be able to compete in an open and transparent process to provide services to the public. A new legal right would be established giving people the right to exercise choice in the public services they consumer.

This research briefing gives an overview of the public’s attitudes to key issues of public services reform – specifically, issues of choice, quality and the use of more providers from outside the state, including charities, social enterprises and businesses. It uses new polling carried out for this study, as well as examining what is known from existing research.

This event will consider that the Coalition government is nearing the halfway point of its planned five-year term this Autumn. It will discuss topics including whether disagreements over Lords reform will lead to a split before 2015, what will happen if the Coalition were to break down, and whether a break from their Liberal Democrat partners would be good for the Conservative Party.

There is a cross party consensus that reforming social care is a key issue that needs to be tackled. Almost a year on from the Dilnot Commission recommending a shared payment system, with the contributions of individuals being capped, this event will debate how policy makers should move forward with reforms to long term care for the elderly. The event will tackle the major issues around the debate and consider ways towards sustainable and affordable reform.

Related News

Policy Exchange's Sean Worth takes part in a debate on Newsnight on cutting the size of the state. Sean argues that more competition is needed to improve and bring down the cost of public services, that public sector workers should be paid by performance and criticises the fact that most of the debate takes place in an academic rather than practical context.

Sean Worth, Head of the Better Public Services Project at Policy Exchange, appears on The Spectator's View from 22 podcast to discuss their recent cover story on government reform of the NHS. Sean highlights the need for better procurement skills among civil servants and criticises the systemic lack of transparency in the NHS which prevents people from identifying the best hospitals and doctors for them.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Programme, took part in a discussion on civil service reform on the Today programme. Sean argued for more specialists in Whitehall, especially from a procurement background, to ensure taxpayers were receiving value for money.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, appears on Sky News' Thinking Aloud show to discuss what's next for the NHS with Dr Jacky Davis. Sean called for the government to tackle vested interests blocking reform of the NHS and for patients to be given greater choice of their healthcare providers.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, appeared on Sky News’s Jeff Randall Live discussing what the impact of mutualising the government's 'Nudge unit'. He said the unit would be able to hire itself out to councils and healthcare providers to nudge people into good behaviour and help councils and the NHS save money.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former special adviser to the Prime Minister, appears on the Daily Politics to set out the proposals from his new report Better Public Services. Sean calls for giving the public more choice in who provides their public services by allowing businesses, social enterprises and charities to also run public services.

The Guardian covers recent report Better Public Services by Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, calling for an overhaul of public services, including introducing more choice and tranparency to allow the public to campare performance of services such as GPs, hospitals and care homes.

Sean Worth, former special adviser to prime minister David Cameron and current Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services project, appears on Newsnight commenting on Budget 2013. Sean argues that the government are trying to show that they are pulling out all the stops in going for growth.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, appeared on Newsnight speaking in response to calls for Chief Executive of the NHS Sir David Nicholson to step down following patient deaths at Mid Stafford Hospital. Sean said you can’t just blame one individual for the failings at the hospital, arguing that the entire NHS system is responsible due to a lack of transparency and choice.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Service's Project, took part in a debate on BBC Radio 5 Live discussing whether the Conservatives should change tack after failing to win in the Eastleigh by-election. Sean said the Tories should not mistake current communications problems for a need to change policy course.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Public Services Project, is quoted in The Evening Standard in an article examining why demand to open free schools is three times higher in London than in other parts of the country. Sean said the government should implement reforms to increase the take-up of free schools outside of London.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Services Project, is quoted in The Financial Times saying the government needs to implement reforms to increase the take-up of free schools outside of London. Sean said ministers should consider introducing School Enterprise Zones in very deprived areas by bringing in extra help to set up new schools, including from the private sector.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, is quoted in a cover story for The Daily Telegraph urging a radical overhaul of the NHS. Sean said the patient deaths in Mid Stafford Hospital displays the urgent need for NHS reform, arguing that patients should have greater choice and information about their treatment.

Policy Exchange's Head of the Better Public Services Project, Sean Worth, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live speaking in response to Ed Miliband's recent proposals that a Labour government would reintroduce a 10p starting rate of tax. Sean said this was an effective political move by Labour, but noted that under this policy low-paid working families would only save 67p per week.

Sean Worth, Head of the Better Public Services Project at Policy Exchange, is interviewed on the Daily Politics highlighting the behind-the-scenes disagreements over the recent NHS reforms and arguing that patients will start to notice the benefits of the reforms by the end of the year.

Sean Worth, Policy Exchange's Head of the Better Public Services Project, is quoted extensively in The Evening Standard arguing that, whilst the government's proposed cap on care costs is a good thing, it is less beneficial for Londoners whose higher property values will leave them above the free care threshold and their assets will be spent more quickly due to higher care costs.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, is quoted by The Daily Mail from his recent blog calling the scandal at Mid Staffordshire hospital "one of the biggest cover-ups in public service history". He is also quoted criticising the "Praetorian guard of NHS elites, trade unions and stuffy medical organisations" that make up the top level of the NHS.

The Sun quotes Sean Worth - Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project - from his recent blog post criticising the old-boys network occupying the top echelon of the NHS. He is quoted calling for a 'revolution' to pass power back to patients.

Sean Worth, Head of the Better Public Services Project at Policy Exchange, appeared on BBC Radio 4's World at One to speak about the problems with the civil service. Sean said that while the civil service is good at policy knowledge, it is not good at adapting to and delivering change.

Sean Worth, Head of the Better Public Services Project at Policy Exchange, appeared on BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster to discuss the Coalition Mid-Term Review. Sean said the review was an opportunity for the Coalition to show which areas of policy they have made progress in, but also to highlight the fact that there is still lots to be done.

Sean Worth, Senior Consultant for Public Services at Policy Exchange, appeared on BBC Radio 4's Decision Time discussing benefits for pensioners. Sean said it is wrong that a generation of pensioners are receiving universal handouts.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former special adviser to David Cameron, gives evidence to the Public Administration Committee on problems with the civil service.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Week in Westminster discussing an article by George Osborne setting out what the Conservatives could learn from the US elections.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former adviser to David Cameron, appeared on Newsnight to discuss Nick Clegg's conference speech. Sean praised Clegg for moving from traditional Lib Dem areas like electoral reform to areas which voters care about like growth, schools and jobs.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former special adviser to David Cameron, is interviewed on Newsnight commenting that the recent reshuffle has been done with putting better communicators in post in mind.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former SpAd to Prime Minister David Cameron, gives an interview in The Guardian calling for the government to push through reforms to the way public services are delivered using private and third sector providers.

Related Blogs

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, argues that while the easy option for Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband would be to continue to deny all culpability for the NHS’s failings, they should instead distance themselves from union extremists, and show they recognise where they have gone wrong. Their best approach would be to drop the ideological baggage and agree to some simple, tough decisions about how to prevent a repetition of the scandals that occurred on their watch.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Service Project, argues that the UK has a huge opportunity to bring in more money and improve public services by commercialising them abroad. By selling their brands and expertise as franchises abroad, they can be tasked with making cash to reinvest back home. He calls for the government to create overseas trade missions based explicitly on public service delivery and showcase our best providers to the world.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, suggests that the Chancellor focuses this month’s Spending Review on justifying his message for further cuts to tackle the deficit by showing the Government will embrace real public sector reform on issues such as breaking the monopoly on the public sector delivery of services. He also said that there should be a greater focus on cost of living issues, for example, lowering business taxes and taking poorer workers out of tax altogether.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, writes calling for disruptive innovation to help turn around the NHS. Sean argues that the best way to improve health services would be to allow patients to freely choose their providers, a case he makes for more widely for public services in general in Better Public Services.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, argues that trade unions are blocking public service reform and says plans by the TUC to carry out a general strike will endanger the public. Sean sets out recommendations from Policy Exchange report Better Public Services which says emergency services strikes should be banned to prevent the most vulnerable people being hit hardest.

Sean Worth, Policy Exchange's Head of the Better Public Services Project, argues that the unnecessary deaths of patients at Mid Stafford Hospital displays the urgent need for NHS reform, with greater accountability and choice. Sean calls for the old-boys' network of trade unions, Royal Colleges and top civil servants at the top of the NHS to be torn down.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project and former special adviser to the Prime Minister, argues that the whole power base governing the NHS is an insiders' club serving the interests of powerful elites and must be smashed so that the NHS can be run for the ordinary people it was set up for.

Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's for Better Public Services Project, argues that critics on the Left who oppose changes to how the public sector operates are infiltrating organisations at a local level to prevent more choice being introduced. He stresses the importance of greater choice for families when it comes to deciding which schools, GPs or other services are best.

Writing in the Telegraph, Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, argues that the Government must urgently reform public services as set out in report Do the Public Back More Reform of Public Services? In particular, he stresses that families should be able to choose the best free public services from the most reliable providers, whether government-run or privately run.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Sean Worth, Senior Consultant to Policy Exchange, proposes ideas to turbo-charge the Government’s plans to free up the supply of schools in poorer urban areas by removing restrictions on who could provide schools, as well as lengthy planning requirements.

Writing in the Telegraph, Sean Worth, Head of Policy Exchange's Better Public Services Project, highlights the work that Circle has done to turn around Hinchingbrooke Hospital in an article on how outsourcing can improve public services. Sean argues that OFT-style regulators charged with overseeing competition in public services should be set up to break government monopolies and allow more innovative providers to run public services.